VALERIE NI FHAOLAIN,
Madam, - Congratulations to Ennis, Tuam, Tullamore, etc., as the Government finally publishes a National Spatial Strategy.
While the intention of funnelling funding into these towns is welcome news, who will ultimately benefit from this funding? Does the Government intend to fund local councils to enable the compulsory purchase of lands surrounding these new gateway and hub towns? Will it act swiftly to prohibit the building up of land banks by property developers eagerly awaiting the rezoning of lands for industrial or residential use?
Or will the taxpayer have to pay twice over for each gateway/hub - once for the infrastructure projects themselves, and once more because the transfer of lands is not effectively managed, and land prices soar above today's values?
Will the result of gateway/hub status be house prices in the Dublin range because the Government failed to learn from the mistakes made in the capital?
Publishing a strategy is not enough if there is no will to follow through on the related policies required to ensure the strategy does not become a licence to print money for already wealthy property developers.
While I welcome the National Spatial Strategy, I worry that the current Government does not have the will to prevent its spin-off being another planning tribunal in 20 years' time. - Yours, etc.,
VALERIE NÍ FHAOLÁIN,
Collins Square,
Dublin 7.